On the Twelve Abuses of the World, with extracts from On the Soul and its Origin and On the Divination of Demons against the Pagans

is. As a poor man, therefore, in many riches, he is rich in a humble spirit; having nothing, as a rich man, he is a pauper in the affection of his mind. Noble, therefore, is the destitution which is the humility of the mind, and foolish are the riches which are the enormity of the soul. It must be provided, therefore, for the poor that they understand what manner of persons they are, and that, since they are not able to obtain what they desire, they cease to be proud with the tumor of the mind.

The ninth degree of abuse: The iniquitous king

The ninth degree of abuse is the iniquitous king, who, when it behooved him to be a ruler of the iniquitous, does not guard the dignity of his name in himself. For the name of "king" intellectually retains this: that he provide the office of a ruler for all his subjects. But how can he correct others who does not correct his own iniquitous ways? Since in the justice of a king the throne is exalted, and in the truth of a king the rudders of the peoples are solidified. The justice of a king is, in truth, to oppress no one by power, to judge justly between a man and his neighbor without the acceptance of persons, to be a defender for travelers and orphans and widows. To restrain thefts. To punish adultery. Not to nourish the impudent and the actors. To remove the impious from the land. Not to suffer murderers and perjurers to live, and to defend the churches. To feed the poor with alms. To appoint just men over the business of the kingdom. To have old and wise and sober councilors. To defer his own anger. To defend his country bravely and justly against adversaries. To trust in God through all things. Not to elevate his mind in prosperity. To endure all adversities with patience. To have the catholic faith in God. Not to allow his own sons to act impiously. To pray secretly at certain hours. Not to taste [food] before the proper hours. For woe to the land whose king is a child and whose princes eat in the morning. These things make the kingdom prosper in the present and lead the king to better heavenly kingdoms. But he who has not dispensed the kingdom according to this law tolerates many iniquitous adversities. For often on this account the peace of peoples is broken, and stumbling blocks arise in the kingdom of the earth, and the fruits diminish, and the services of the people are hindered, and many and various sorrows afflict the prosperity of the kingdom; the death of cattle and children brings sadness, the enmity of enemies lays waste the provinces on every side, the wild beasts tear apart the herds of the flocks and cattle, the tempest...